208 



INSCRIPTIONS. 



of about the same height, reaching from the pathway to the 

 top of the wall. That part of the wall which is above the 

 general level of the ground is backed with a mound of earth, 

 faced with stone on the inner side, the whole forming a solid 

 mass which varies from 20 to 40 feet in thickness. The 

 masonry is substantial, but the stones are too square on the 

 face for first-class work, and little or no attention was paid 

 to the breaking of joint; consequently an unbroken line of 

 joints often runs vertically down five or six consecutive 

 courses. The walls are built in 18-inch courses of stone set 

 in mud and pointed with mortar on the face. In some parts 

 battlements loop-holed for musketry still remain ; these are 

 chiefly found on the southern side. 



The inner wall is quite different in style. It is constructed 

 of large blocks of gneiss, many of which are over 12 feet 

 long and weigh upwards of 10 tons each ; whilst a few 

 specially large stones are more than twice this weight. For 

 instance, at the north-east corner, one stone measures 13 feet 

 6 inches, by 5 feet, by 4 feet 6 inches ; and the one above it 

 11 feet 6 inches, by 5 feet, by 4 feet. No mortar is used 

 in this wall, and one of the most striking peculiarities of the 

 masonry is that in many places the top of a course was left 

 curved and uneven, and the stones of the course above were 

 cut so as to follow this irregular outline. Such a method 

 must have entailed an enormous waste of labour, as the close 

 joints could only have been obtained after a tentative process 

 of fitting, which must have been a very tedious work when 

 such large stones had to be lifted. As an example of this 

 class of work the following instance may be mentioned : — 



FT. IN. FT. IN. FT. IN. FT, IN. 



Length from end 



of stone ..3 0 5 0 7 4 11 10 



Corresponding 

 depth 



4 3 3 9 



